The present invention relates generally to a mounting apparatus for a utility or trouble light and, in particular, to a rotatable hook mount adapted to be attached to a utility light guard for suspending the utility light.
It is often desirable to suspend a body, such as a hand-held electric work or utility light, for any number of purposes. In these situations, it is common to attach hooks or similar devices to the body. It is often difficult, however, to find a suitable location for suspending the body and, once the body has been suspended, it is also often a challenging task to orient the body in a desired direction. In the example of an electric utility light, this task entails directing the illumination from the light bulb towards a work object or the like. The process of finding a suitable location for the hook and then attempting to orient the body in the desired direction can consume an inordinate amount of time.
It is also common for two members having opposing coplanar mating faces, joined at their respective centers, to have a means for preventing relative rotation between the opposing faces. A typical means for preventing relative rotation between the opposing faces is to provide each face with a plurality of projections and grooves that engage with a corresponding plurality of projections and grooves on the opposing face.
It is also often common to need the ability to reorient members having opposing coplanar circular mating faces, joined at their respective centers, relative to one other while still maintaining a means for preventing the rotation after the reorientation is complete. Typically, a means for disengaging the projections and grooves in the opposing faces is provided. The means for disengaging is typically arranged so that the members remain joined at their respective centers while they are disengaged. The disengaging means initially disengages the opposing faces, the members are next rotated to the desired orientation, after which the facing projections and grooves are engaged again.
It is desirable to combine the above-mentioned features in order allow a body to be suspended from a hook or similar apparatus and then be oriented in various directions after it has been suspended.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to combine a hook with opposing circular planar faces joined at their respective centers with a means for preventing rotation between the faces and with a means for disengaging and reorienting the faces in order to allow a body to be suspended from various places and be oriented in numerous directions after it has been suspended.
The present invention concerns a rotatable hook mount for attachment to a portion of a utility or trouble light, such as a light guard, whereby the utility light can be suspended from a hook and oriented in numerous directions.
The rotatable hook mount includes a hook member having a shaft portion and a hook portion. The hook portion of the hook member may be S-shaped, C-shaped, eye-shaped, or any similar shape, and is adapted to be assembled with an upper locking member. The upper locking member is preferably disk-shaped and includes upper and lower planar faces. A bore extends through the upper locking member, forming an aperture in each planar face. The bore receives the shaft portion of the hook member. During assembly, the hook member is press fit into the bore of the upper locking member, and a length of the shaft portion of the hook member extends axially beyond the lower planar face of the upper locking member. The lower planar face of the upper locking member also includes serrations, or a set of teeth.
The combined hook member and upper locking member cooperates with and attaches to a lower locking member. The lower locking member includes a disk-shaped portion and a protrusion portion extending from the disk-shaped portion. The disk-shaped portion includes upper and lower planar faces. A bore extends through the lower locking member, forming an aperture in each planar face. The upper planar face of the lower locking member includes a set of teeth that cooperate with the teeth of the upper locking member to prevent relative rotation of the locking members. The shaft portion of the hook member also extends through the bore and axially beyond the lower planar face of the lower locking member. The lower locking member is adapted to be affixed, at its protrusion portion, to the body that is to be suspended on the hook member. The lower locking member thus remains stationary once it is affixed to the body.
The portion of the shaft of the hook member that extends beyond the lower locking member extends through a preferably helical compression spring member. A retaining means is attached to an end of the shaft portion of the hook member to retain the spring member which biases the first locking member against the second locking member.
In operation, when a force in an upward direction is exerted on the hook member, the spring member is compressed, the upper locking member moves away from the lower locking member to disengage the sets of teeth, and the combined hook member and upper locking member may be rotated relative to the lower locking member and the body. When the hook member is allowed to return in a downward direction with the aid of the spring member, the respective locking members reengage and prevent relative rotation. The spring member thus advantageously allows the locking members to be disengaged and rotated relative to each other without having to be completely detached.
The teeth of the locking members are preferably arranged with equal spacing and equal angles between the teeth so as to permit engagement at a number of positions of relative rotation. For example, in a preferred embodiment, each of the locking members contains fifteen teeth resulting in the same number of locking positions spaced twenty-four degrees apart. Those skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that any number of teeth formed can be used while still remaining within the scope of the present invention. A greater number of teeth, however, will provide a greater amount of flexibility in allowing the locking members to be engaged at more locations around their respective circumferences.